The countdown begins! With just 10 days left before graduation, it is slowly sinking in that I am finally graduating college. As it gets closer and closer, I look back on the good memories I had in school with friends.

From when I was 3 years old and going to preschool in Kaimuki to now, just days away from graduating at Chaminade University of Honolulu with my degree in Communications in Mass Media. I guess you can say Kaimuki is the start and the end of my schooling life, with 19 years of school I have come full circle bringing it back to where it all began.

I have probably spent a majority of my life at school than I have at home. So, of course it’s going to be hard and scary, for sure scary, to move on to the next chapter of life: adulthood.

When I give myself time to just to think, that is when the worry creeps in. I ask myself questions like, “Will I be good enough for the jobs I want?” and “Am I going to find a job that fits me?” I know that everyone goes through these worries whenever they apply for a job or are thinking about finding one. Usually I just went with the flow. Yes, just going with the flow helps you to go through life more or less stress-free, but I think that it is good to have a little stress too. For me, I stress when I feel uncomfortable, and I hate feeling uncomfortable. It takes maybe a couple of weeks for me to get used to something new. And that is the part that I like to avoid at all costs. I know that I will be happier after, but for some reason I don’t want to get that moment of uncomfortable out of the way to bask in the fun and be happy after.

Last month my aunty told me the quotation by Neale Donald Walsch, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” I always liked that quote, but this semester I feel like I have really pushed myself to feel uncomfortable. Knowing that the countdown to graduation is not going to pause just because I wasn’t ready was motivation for me. Also having this class, COM 371 Communication Practicum, and Photography, COM 325, has really tested me. Getting in contact with people that I don’t know well and asking them questions for my articles was the hard part, although from this class I know that I have gained confidence in talking to strangers.

I am very grateful for all the lessons that I have learned at Chaminade. Whether it was in the classroom talking with teachers or outside in the halls with friends the time I spent here, although it was just two years, I will treasure it forever. I have made tons of friends here that have graduated or are yet to graduate

Thank you Chaminade and the friends I have made for making my college life so much fun and memorable. I am sad to be leaving, but I know that I am prepared to jump off the edge of my comfort zone into the great unknown. When December 12 comes, it will be at the end of my college life and at the beginning of a new chapter. I am excited to see what I can achieve and how far I will go; Chaminade, you’ve done we well. I will become an alumna just like my father and my aunty had before me, see you soon.